Rediscovering the unknown Heteronebo Pocock genus from Socotra in Yemen in 1899, construction of a new genus (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae)
Disclaimer
This is not a peer-reviewed paper, and none of the taxonomic decisions presented here are valid or scientifically binding. In October 2024, I received a saved specimen of boy heteronebo from a friend and began drafting this manuscript. Since then, I have been waiting for the opportunity to indirectly examine specimens of the type that have been deposited on NHMUK via a friend from UCL. During this period I completed most of this article, but then shifted my focus to two other formal papers published. Recently, after their finalization, I was informed that the NHMUK curators were eventually made available to assist outside visitors, urging them to revisit this manuscript. Unfortunately, after another month of waiting, the curator was once again occupied by a personal commitment. As a result, I chose to continue publishing this article. Future research was promoted with the intention of replenishing the photographs of the mold specimens at a later time once curators became available. As I was fiddled with some twin-flow phylogenetic coding in an attempt to see if there was an opportunity to support monophylogenetics in the three genera, I found that the important data that hinder the confident validation of diagnostic characters was unacceptable for the low quality of this work as a formal publication and not contaminating it to at least a degree. As a result, I decided to share this manuscript as an informal report instead of submitting it as a scientific paper. Therefore, any taxonomic decisions or statements herein should not be treated as authoritative. However, it may sound like a formal conclusion, as it was the original goal. My purpose in publishing this manuscript is to document and share my observations, leaving this subject as a professional fluke scientist who can directly examine fresh specimens to produce rigorous and definitive research. By disclosing these personal findings, it is hoped that this study will serve as a preliminary guide for researchers and will prevent inadvertently pursuing unnecessary detours during the investigation. The diagrams and tables are listed after references for clarity. The data matrix was uploaded to Zenodo for verification or entertaining interested readers.
summary
Recent fieldwork on Socotra Island, Yemen led to the discovery of a new specimen of heteronebopokok in 1899. Examination of this specimen suggests a new synonym. n. Based on a detailed review and paleogeographic evidence, it is proposed that all Caribbean taxa (17 species) previously classified under heteronebo should be reassigned to a new genus established as aposangigen. n. As a result, the genus Heteronebo currently houses only one species limited to the Socotra archipelago. However, current cladistic analyses based on limited and biased information do not support monophyletic heteronebo or aposangigen. n. Compared to Cazierius Francke, 1978, a complete list of currently recognized Aposanguis species and distribution of each is provided. This study does not modify the Caribbean dipole system, which is beyond that range, but sets a stage for future systematic investigations.
